Did You See That?
by parsda
Summary: **Note, I have no medical experience and have never had a c-section. I wrote how I thought it should go, not how it is probably done.**
1. Chapter 1

Did You See That?

Steph let out a big sigh and punched the pillow that she was holding. Ranger looked up from the bag he was packing and raised an eyebrow. Steph was sitting on their bed, leaning up against the headboard, punching the pillow again. "Babe, you knew this might happen." "I know, but why now?" "Babe, this is the only mission from all of my years working that wasn't resolved and it was left with the government that if the opportunity came up, and I was still physically able, I would go. I have a lot more Intel and it shouldn't take too long." Steph let out another sigh but gave Ranger a small smile. "I know, but it still sucks."

Ranger zipped the bag shut and held out a hand, which Steph grabbed, and pulled him and tried to tug him down into the bed, he didn't budge. She rolled her eyes at him and then stood up and he pulled her into his arms. As his lips descended to hers, she thought that she was a very lucky woman.

He drove them to the airport and once he parked and helped her out before she noticed the other SUV that parked behind their car. She tried to raise an eyebrow at Ranger but when she failed, he laughed. "I don't want you to have to drive home alone." "I get that, but did they all have to come? Ranger rolled his eyes at her and that made her laugh. He picked up his bag, handed Steph the car keys and grabbed her hand and held it tight while they walked into the terminal. They all had special ID's that meant they could bypass Security so they all followed Ranger and Steph to the gate for his flight to DC. He checked in at the gate, showed his ID and then walked back over to the guys. They had a brief chat about some upcoming meetings and then the guys did their man hug thing that made Steph giggle.

Ranger pulled her into his arms and kisses her until they were both breathless. He leaned his head down and rested his forehead against hers and spoke softly to her. The guys couldn't hear what he was saying, but they could tell it was a private conversation. He kisses her again. And then he knelt down in front of her and kissed below her stomach. Steph reached down and ran her fingers through his hair while he spoke softly. He looked up at Steph and she nodded. With one last kiss to her stomach, he stood back up and kissed her lips again, this time keeping one hand flat against her stomach. He wiped her tears, picked up his bag, and gave her one last kiss. He looked over at the guys and nodded, before walking to the plane.

Steph stood watching him and none of the guys moved. Lester looked over at Bobby and said "Did you see that?" Bobby nodded and chuckled, but didn't say anything. Lester looked at Tank and said, "What do you think it that was all about?" Tank chuckled and said "Gentlemen, it could mean anything when Bomber's involved." With another chuckle, he walked over and threw his arm around Steph's shoulder. She looked at him and he could see the sadness in her eyes, now that Ranger was gone. He gently turned her towards the other two before saying. "Something you want to share with the class Bomber?" She looked at him and shook her head no. He laughed and said, "Bossman saying goodbye to the Tastycakes in your stomach?" Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head again. Tank let out a loud laugh and said, "Come on, you can fill me in on the way back because I'll be driving you." Steph looked at Bobby, but he just smiled and said nothing.

When she got to the car, Tank opened the door for her and helped her buckle her seat belt. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. He started the car and then looked over at her. "Still not talking?" She shook her head no and turned to look out the window. They started driving when her phone buzzed with a new text message. She looked at it and smiled. Tank chuckled and said, "What did the boss say?" She smiled at him and said, "I'll tell everyone once we get to RangeMan." Tank started laughing and said, "Did he just figure out what he did in front of us?" She laughed and then read the text to him. "Babe, I guess I just blew our secret, but only if the guys are smart enough to figure it out. Go ahead and tell the guys, but remind them that they need to keep it in the building until we tell our families. Love you both and miss you already. ~C"

They pulled into the parking garage and the SUV with Bobby and Lester pulled in behind them and parked. They all walked over to the elevator and Lester blocked the door and looked at Steph. "Spill it Beautiful. What the hell was that all about?" She just shook her head and said, "Get the guys together in the control room and I'll come down and fill you in on it." She ducked under his arms and closed the elevator door. They watched it go up to the top floor and then looked at each other. Tank said, "She got a text from Ranger while we were driving here. He told her to tell us, so I guess we'll all find out for sure in a few minutes. Let's go get everyone together."

They went up the stairs and Lester let out a loud whistle when they got to the control room. "Hey, listen up, Beautiful is coming down to tell us something so gather around." The guys all stood around and finally the elevator opened and Steph came out. She smiled when she saw all of the guys. She had something in her hand, but kept it out of sight. Lester let out another whistle and yelled "Shut up." The volume drop in the room cause Steph to laugh. "Ok, thanks Lester for that opening. Well, I'm hear with some news that Ranger and I wanted to share with you all, but I thought we were going to wait until he gets back, but he did something at the airport that was out of character and if the three musketeers figured it out the rest of the building would soon know because we all know that they can't keep a secret. Any guesses?" The guys started throwing out answers that varied from "Steph is going to carry her loaded gun' to 'Tastycakes are being discontinued' to 'Steph has decided to moonlight as a stripper', wait, what? "Who said that about me becoming a stripper?" Everyone turned around and looked at Lester, who just shrugged. "A guy can dream, right?"

She looked out at the guys and her gaze locked onto Hector's face and saw him smiling while he spoke, "No, tontos, van a tener un bebé."

The room went silent and she looked at Manny and asked for a translation. He replied with "Hector said, 'No, you fools, they are going to have a baby'". Hector replied with "No Fools, I say Dumbshits." He came over and hugged Steph and kissed her cheek, reaching down to rub her stomach. "Hola pequeño". Steph kissed his teardrop tattoo and was then passed down the line for more hugs and kisses. When she got to Bobby, he asked, "Is the morning sickness getting better?" Before she could reply, Lester said, "Wait, you knew she was pregnant and didn't tell me?" Bobby shook his head, "Wasn't my news to tell." Steph looked at Lester and said, "Well, if Ranger had been more aware of his surroundings today, none of you guys would know until Ranger gets back." That led to the story of Ranger kissing her stomach before getting on the plane. Steph eventually headed upstairs and laid down on the bed, snuggling up with Ranger's pillow, as it still smelled like him. She sent him a quick text to tell him that the guys now know about the baby, but someone needs to get Lester some mental health help. She gave a quick overview of their guesses and his reply was "Babe."


	2. Chapter 2

6 months later…

Tank shuffled the papers on his desk and sighed. He rubbed his hand over of head, wishing he had hair just so he could pull it out in frustration. Ranger was still gone, but had been making his check-ins. Ranger had actually been able to call twice while gone and the first time, he only spoke with Stephanie. The second call came when Steph was out of the office at a doctor's appointment with Bobby, so Tank was able to talk to him. He thought the job would be over within a few weeks and that call had come about five weeks ago. He hated paperwork and Ranger knew it. Sometimes he thought the man left for these jobs just to dump all of the paperwork on him.

Life with a pregnant Stephanie was a challenge. Bobby had been made aware of the baby soon after Steph and Ranger found out about it. She had a bit of a problem with morning sickness, but it was almost gone by the time Ranger left on the job. The baby was doing great, growing on schedule, but there was one complication for Steph. Being Ranger's child, the baby only liked it when Steph ate healthy. Anytime she ate sweets, such as donuts or cake, she would become ill, usually throwing up and having horrible indigestion. No one mentioned it in front of Steph because her hormones were out of whack and anything could set her off crying, but when she wasn't in the room, they laughed at the irony of the situation.

Bobby took Ranger's place and went to appointments with Steph. He was there for all of the testing and held her hand during the ultrasounds. He was there to wipe her tears when she found out the sex of the baby. He held her when she cried about Ranger missing out on everything with this baby, just as he missed out with Julie. After the first time she said this, he got Hector on it and he was able to put together a video of her appointments and got copies of the ultrasounds and strung them together so they could run as one video. Bobby made sure to take a picture of Steph standing sideways in front of Ranger's office door each week holding a sign with how many weeks pregnant she was at that time. The guys were making sure that Ranger would know everything that he missed.

The guys had helped Steph put together a dinner for both sets of parents. Not only did Steph break the news of the baby, but when her mother started to say something about them not being married, Steph dropped the other surprise. A few weeks before Ranger left, he and Steph and gone to the beach for a long weekend and had gotten married. They were married privately on the beach with only Tank, Lester and Bobby as their witnesses. It was done in the manner that they wanted and not how their mothers would have insisted. After sharing that news, both mothers jumped at the chance to help Stephanie however they could. The guys worked with Rangers dad and brothers to remodel their apartment, adding more bedrooms and bathrooms. The entire top floor of the building was now their apartment, as before it only took up about half of the floor. Steph was worried how Ranger would react, but Tank reassured her that he had talked about remodeling even before they found out about the baby.

The moms and Ella put together a baby shower for Steph and they held it in the remodeled apartment. The guys were invited, but once they found out what went on at baby showers, they all declined. However, they did make an appearance once Ella notified them that the presents were being opened. Tank opened the door to the apartment and led the parade of men in black. Lester and Bobby were the last two to arrive and were each carrying a large present covered in a blanket. They set it down in front of Stephanie and Bobby said, "Steph, all of us, your Merry Men, went together and got you this. It wasn't on your registry but we hope you like it." He pulled off the blanket and Stephanie gasped. In front of her stood a wooden cradle and rocking chair. The rocking chair had a cushion on it and a yellow handmade blanket over the back of it. The cradle had another handmade blanket and a few stuffed toys. She ran her hands over the wood and looked up at the guys with tears running down her face.

"Oh God, she's crying. Tank, you said she'd like them but she's crying," Lester said. Bobby smacked him on the back of the head and said, "Stupid, she loves them. Those are happy tears. I thought by now you'd know the difference in her crying." Steph looked at them and smiled, even though the tears were still running down her face. "Guys, I love them." Bobby said, "Most of the work was done by Cal and Hal, but we all did a bit so we could say we built them." She gasped and said, "You made these?" She kept running her hands over the wood and said, "These are the most beautiful pieces of work I've ever seen. I'm so lucky to have you guys. I love you all so much. Thank you." Lester helped her stand up and she went around to all of the guys and hugged and kissed them. Cal and Hal got the biggest hugs and extra kisses to the point where they both turned fire red from blushing.

Everyone came over to admire the cradle and chair and starting talking to Cal and Hal about making other things for them. Steph had Tank put them in her and Ranger's bedroom. Once the baby was big enough to sleep in its own room and crib, she'd move the chair there, but the cradle was only for her and Ranger's bedroom. After the women all left, the guys helped clean up and put things away for Steph. The guys trickled out of the apartment as the evening went on and soon it was just Steph, Tank and Lester left. The guys were sitting on opposite ends of the couch with Steph laying on her side, with her head on one lap and her feet on the other. As they watched a movie, her feet were rubbed and her hair was played with by the guys. About twenty minutes into the movie, they noticed she had fallen asleep. Les set her feet down on the couch and went to get a blanket and covered her. He helped Tank put a pillow under her head after Tank slipped out from under her. They turned off the television, and left a lamp on low so she wasn't totally in the dark. As they walked out of the apartment, Lester said, "Man, he better get his ass home soon. I don't want to watch her deliver the baby, that's his job."


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks later…

Steph slammed the file cabinet drawer and left the file room, slamming the door to the room as she left it. The sound of the door slamming made a lot of the guys wince out on the control room floor. Steph was in the last 10 days of her pregnancy and was becoming unbearable. She was very uncomfortable, her back hurt, she couldn't eat much without feeling sick and she still cried a lot. Most of the guys tried to stay away from her, but some days it was hard. Bobby was unsuccessful in getting her to take the afternoons off, but it only lasted a few hours on the first day. She was restless upstairs and would rather be downstairs with the guys, even if they were starting to be afraid of her.

She stomped back to her cubicle and slammed the file folder down on her desk. Lester looked out of his office at her and shook his head. Either Ranger had to get home or this baby had to arrive. God help them if she went over her due date. Bobby said that her doctor promised that she wouldn't let her go more than a couple days past her due date. Les sure hoped that would be the case. He couldn't imagine her reaction if she went past the due date. And hell, why wasn't his stupid cousin home yet? If Ranger got home, then hopefully Steph would be a bit nicer. Shit, a lot of the guys are scared of her right now and some even asked to switch to the night shift just to avoid her. He sent Tank a text that read, "Any news on the Bossman? The beast is on the loose today." Tank replied and said, "No news. Is it feeding time?" Lester let out a laugh and then turned somber. They shouldn't make fun of Steph, especially referring to her as the beast, but between the mood swings and never ending eating, she was beast-like. Not one of the Rangemen would want to be in Steph's condition. They were all really proud of her, especially with Ranger being gone for so long.

Hector stopped by Lester's office and asked, "¿Cómo está ella hoy? (How is she today?)" Lester shook his head and said, ""Acércate a tu propio riesg. (Approach at your own risk.)" Hector shook his head and walked over to Stephanie's cubicle. He leaned against the corner of her desk and smiled at her. "Hola pequeña, ¿cómo están las dos hoy? (Hello little one, how are you both today?)" Steph looked at him and smiled, "Hola Hector, Estamos bien, hoy estamos inquietos. (Hello Hector. We're okay, just restless today.) Hector bent down and rubbed the baby. "Hola hermosa, tu papá estará en casa pronto. (Hello beautiful one, your papa will be home soon.)" Hector kissed her belly and then stood up and kissed Stephanie on the cheek. He walked back towards his office and sat back down at his desk. He pulled up a program on his computer and smiled.

A few hours later, Steph was ready to call it a day. She was hungry, but every time she tried to eat, she felt sick. Everything on her body ached and she was so tired of being pregnant. Less than two weeks to go and she hoped that Ranger would be home before she went into labor. The thought of having the baby with the guys in the room with her instead of Ranger made her shudder. Lester didn't handle most pregnancy things well and she was sure that watching her deliver the baby would drive him over the edge. She was packing up her desk when she heard the elevator ding and when glanced over to see the doors open, she let out a gasp. There stood her favorite man in black.

She started to get out of her chair, she felt a hand on her back and looked over to see Hector helping her stand. She got out of her chair and ran, well, ran as best should could for being almost 9 months pregnant, and threw herself at Ranger. He dropped his duffle bag and grabbed her, kissing her until they were both gasping for air. He reached down and placed his hands on her stomach, which was much rounder than when he left. He was greeted with a kick, which caused his eyebrow to raise. Steph laughed and said, "He's just welcoming his daddy home." Ranger stared at her and said, "He?" Steph had tears running down her face when she choked out, "Yes, it's a boy." He fell to his knees and kissed her stomach, rubbing his hands over her. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes and then softly said, "Hola mi hijo. Yo soy tu papi. (Hello my son I am your daddy)." He stood up and pulled Steph into him and kissed her. He leaned his forehead down to hers and wiped her tears at the same time she wiped his. Then she hit him on the arm and said, "Well the hell have you been? 'It won't take long Babe' you said. 'Should be a quick job Babe'. It sure as hell took you long enough. I was worried that Lester would have to be there in the delivery room with me." Ranger looked at her and laughed, "Babe."


	4. Chapter 4

Note - the descriptions below are from my dream house, especially the closet. It's almost time for the baby so enjoy.

The guys came over and welcomed Ranger back to the building. After a few minutes, he looked at Steph and saw she was tired. "Babe, how about you and I go upstairs and you can relax?" She nodded and went to finish shutting down her computer and grab her bag. She walked back over to him and grabbed one of his hands, entwining their fingers. He pulled their hands up to his lips and kissed her fingers. She smiled and yawned at the same time. He chuckled and said, "Okay guys, we're heading upstairs." He reached down to grab his bag and looked at Tank. "We're offline, at least twenty four hours, maybe more." Tank laughed and said, "See you next week." He led Steph to the elevator and once inside she all but collapsed against him. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips and once the doors opened on the top floor, he pulled her out and unlocked the apartment door. She stopped him from going inside and looked at him sheepishly. "Babe?" "Uhm, well, you see, Tank said you wanted," "What Babe? Just say it." "Well, I had some changes made to the apartment." She let him inside and let go of his hand. He dropped his bag on the floor and just looked around. "Babe."

The entry way was similar to what it was when he left with the side table complete with the basket for the mail and a tray for keys. Once he walked past that, everything had changed. The previously separated kitchen, dining room and living room were now one big, open room. The one side of the wall was covered in floor to ceiling windows and while the walls were a muted grey color, there were pops of colors everywhere. The kitchen cabinets were grey and the counters were white with streaks of black, grey and silver. The dining room had a black table and hutch and the chairs were a combination of black and silver. There was a grey table runner and floral arrangement on the dining table. He turned around and looked at Steph. She was nibbling on her bottom lip and looked at him questioningly, "Do you like it?" He walked over to her and leaned down saying, "No Babe, I don't like it." He touched his lips to hers and gently pulled her bottom lip with his teeth. She looked at him and had tears in her eyes. "Well, I'm sure we can make whatever changes you want, I tried to make it something you would like, but I guess" She didn't get finished because Ranger crushed his lips to hers and both of them groaned. "I don't like it Babe, I love it. It's exactly what I would have done, well except for the flowers, but the colors are perfect." Steph let out a big sigh and then punched him in the arm. "Seriously, teasing a very pregnant and hormonal woman?" He just laughed and pulled her into the living room area and pushed her down into a chair. "Sit and rest Babe, please? I'll look around more and then you can show me the rest of the apartment."

He wandered around the living room, looking at framed photos of them and their families on the walls. He noticed a few new ones, mainly of Steph as her baby bump grew and he sighed, thinking of all he missed. He walked back over to her and pulled her to her feet. "Show me more Babe?" She grabbed his hand and led him down a new hallway. She pointed out two additional bedrooms and a new bathroom. She got to a closed door and turned around to face him. "The guys helped me put this together. I tried to wait for you, but time was running out. If you don't like it, we can change it." She pushed open the door, reached inside and turned on a muted overhead light and then stepped to the side. He stepped forward into the nursery and looked around in awe. The walls were a pale blue and there was a darker blue stipe that went around the middle of the wall. There were animals painted in white on that darker stripe. The crib was white as was the dresser and changing table. The crib had a blue and white checked blanket, along with a few stuffed toys in one corner. He ran his hand over the crib rail and looked around the room some more. He walked over to the far corner and ran his hand over the top of the rocking chair. He looked at the yellow blanket that was hung over the arm of the chair and looked back at her. "The guys gave this to us at my shower. Cal and Hal did most of the work, but the rest of the guys did a little bit so they could say they built it."

He glanced at her in amazement, "They made this chair?" She nodded and said, "They also made something else, but it's in our room." He kept walking around the room and then finally stopped by the dresser. The dresser top had the stuffed animals and a small blue lamp that had a white shade with animals in blue. She reached over and turned it on so he could see how it projected the animals from the shade onto the ceiling. He looked at the stuffed animals and let out a gasp. Steph looked at him and said, "What? What's wrong?" He shook his head and reached over the picked up a stuffed bear and a stuffed dog. He pulled them up to his face and took a deep breath and then sighed. "Where did you get these?" "Your mom gave them to me, why?" "They were mine when I was little. I thought they were lost when my parents moved while I was in the army, but apparently she kept them." He turned them over in his hands and found the tags along the backside of each animal. He turned it over and read, "Mr. Buttons" on the bear and "Mr. Woofy" on the dog. He showed her and then set them back down. He pulled Steph into his arms and then kissed her. "I love it Babe. I wish I could have been here to help you, but am glad that the guys were here for you." She led him out of the room and then to the door across the hall, which was the remaining room to show him.

She turned the knob and pushed him inside, "Welcome home Carlos." He looked around and was happy with what he saw. Their bed was along the back wall, and he could tell it was the same bed, just with a splash of color with the throw pillows. Otherwise, the bedding was all white. The wall opposite the bed was another wall of windows and had sheer, white curtains. He then noticed the cradle. She had the guys put it next to her side of the bed and there was a faded yellow blanket in it. He pulled the blanket out and said, "Did you get this from my mom?" Steph said, "The guys gave us the cradle, same as the rocker and the blanket was in it, but I later learned that your mom had added it to the cradle before they gave it to us. Why?" "It was my blanket, my boonkie." She chuckled and said, "Boonkie?" "Well, I couldn't say blanket so boonkie was what I came up with, don't laugh." "I'm not laughing at you, just thinking about Baby Carlos." "Babe."

There were two closed doors next to each other on the other remaining wall. He walked over towards them and looked over at Steph with a raised eyebrow. "Either one is fine to open." He opened the door on the left and saw a bathroom. There was a double vanity with sinks that had a makeup table in the middle that had its own small chair. The toilet was behind a skinny wall, giving the user a bit of privacy. The shower was huge with duel showerheads on opposite sides, an overhead rain shower and a small bench. The tub was separate and could easily fit both of them and probably a few kids. A wall of hooks was next to it, with towels and robes hanging. Everything was done in black and white with a splash of red, yellow and green in the towels and window covering. "I love it Babe."

He walked over the other door and turned the knob. The lights turned on dimly when he walked into the room and he looked back at her. "Lester's idea." The room was their closet and he looked around it in amazement. One wall had rods of clothes on hangers. The rods were at various heights for shirts, pants, dresses, and suits. In one corner was his safe and he was glad to see it, as he had a few things from his bag to put away in it. The wall opposite of the hanging clothes was a floor to ceiling mirror. He looked over and she shrugged, "What? I always wanted a closet this big and if I was getting it, why not get everything I ever wanted?" The far wall was a built in dresser, the entire wall was covered in drawers, and in one section in the middle of the wall, there was a door. He walked over and turned the knob, and pulled open the door. Inside were racks of shoes, with a bench in the middle. He also noticed that one side of the room had a row of mirrors along the bottom of the wall. He turned around and looked at her. "I love shoes, what can I say?"

He looked around the shoe room and then came back out and looked at the drawers and again and then back at the shoe room. "Babe, what am I not seeing?" She sighed and walked over to him. She walked over to the shoe room and motioned him inside. She pointed out the shoe room was built on the back behind both sides of drawers. "This started out as a room with all of the drawers and shoe racks inside. But your men didn't like that so they made changes." "Why would my men care about our dresser drawers and your shoes?" "Come over here." She walked over to the door and shut it so they were both in the room. "Your men decided I needed a safe room so they built this room and used my racks of shoes as a cover. They decided to make this instead of just a closet." She reached over to the side of the door frame and pushed a button he hadn't even noticed. The shoe racks on one side of the room started to move and swung open to reveal a hidden room. She walked in and he followed her, looking around. Inside was a computer terminal, small kitchenette, a couple chairs, a television and a small bathroom, complete with a shower. He was speechless. His men had built her a panic room and hid it behind her shoes, genius! He turned around and looked back at the shoe room and walked over to the door, trying to open the door. Steph said, "The door automatically locks when the button is pushed. It also sends an alert to them and I have to reply within a few minutes otherwise, they will storm the castle." Before he could say anything, Lester's face popped up on the computer monitor. "Hey Beautiful, everything okay? You didn't call and didn't answer your phone." She walked over and pushed a button and said, "Yep, just showing Carlos the room. I guess I left my phone in the other room." "No problem, just remember to keep your phone on you all at times. I'll open it up for you." His face disappeared from the monitor and Steph heard the lock on the door click so she walked over and opened it. They walked back into the bedroom, shutting the doors behind them. Ranger looked at Steph and smiled, "You'll be safe no matter where you are in the apartment. I saw the panic buttons in each room." She sighed and said, "Yep, constantly safe," and then she yawned. Ranger led her to the bed and sat her down, kneeling to pull off her shoes. "Lay down Babe and rest." He laid down with her and within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep. He got up and went back to wander the apartment.

He walked back down the hallway to the new bedrooms and bathroom. He found one room was set up as a guest room, with a door to the bathroom that when we walked through, he found a door to the other new bedroom. He walked inside and found this one was set up for Julie. He glanced around and could tell that Julie had been up for a visit and had put her own twist on the décor. He smiled as he looked around and then went back out into the hallway. On the opposite side of the hall was another door. Steph hadn't mentioned this room, nor had she shown him what was inside. He was curious and decided to open the door. He stepped inside and the lights automatically turned on. He stood and stared in amazement. Steph had set up this room as an office for him and it was beautiful. The desk was in the back of the room, facing the door, was the same one he had previously and he found pictures of the two of them, pictures of Julie and a few ultrasound pictures of the baby in frames on his desk. She did get him a new chair and he sat down and sank into the leather. He swiveled around in the chair and looked around. To the right was a wall that housed a few file cabinets and a bookshelf. He turned the other direction and saw a few more floor to ceiling windows. He spun around in his chair and looked at the wall behind his desk, stopping suddenly at what he saw. On the wall were frames and shadow boxes full of his military medals and awards. He stood up and walked back to get a closer look. The guys must have helped her put these together because the medals were arranged by when they were earned and were grouped together with photos from those times. He stood and stared in amazement, thinking that he was one lucky SOB for having such a wonderful woman in his life, his Babe, his wife.


	5. Chapter 5

Ranger slowly adjusted to civilian life again over the next few days. He and Steph stayed in the apartment and had a steady stream of visitors. Both sets of parents and most of the siblings came by at some point. He was surprised at how well Stephanie was getting along with her mother, but he supposed it was due to the baby, and the fact that they had gotten married before he left on this last job. The visit with her sister and her family was amusing. While Steph and her sister talked, the girls ran round the gym, checking out all of the equipment and her brother-in-law was trying to look like he knew what all of the equipment did and when he tried to show them how to use the treadmill, he flew off the back end and fell on his ass. Ranger had to turn around so he wouldn't laugh in the poor guys face. The girls laughed and asked him to do it again. Poor schmuck.

On the fourth day, they both headed back down to the 5th floor and Ranger spent most of the morning in his office getting caught up on paperwork while Steph spent the morning working on searches. It was almost lunchtime when Lester and Bobby stopped by her desk. "Hey Beautiful, you and the boss man going to get some lunch?" She glanced up at Lester and smiled, "I would assume so, but he's been holed up in his office since we came down." "I'll take care of it." Lester said. He went over and pounded on Ranger's office door. "Time to eat Boss. Your baby is hungry." Ranger opened the door and smacked Lester on the head. "My baby is fine. If Steph is hungry, then we'll go to lunch. I suppose you want to go with us?" Lester grinned and said, "Well, of course I do. My godson needs me to be with him." Stephanie laughed but Ranger looked at Lester with a glare, "Godson?" Lester grinned and said, "Of course, I'll be the godfather." Ranger shook his head at Lester and went over to help Steph up and then then all headed down to the garage.

The drive to Pino's was quick and when they arrived, Lester beat Ranger to Steph's car door and opened it for her. Ranger pushed him out of the way and helped her up. They were walking into the building when Joe showed up in the parking lot. He caught up with them and said, "Wow Steph, you're much bigger than the last time I saw you." Her face turned fire red and it looked like she was going to explode. "Bigger? Let me tell you something mister, I'm carrying a baby, not just a bunch of Tastycakes. Everything on my body has grown, even the mole I have between my boobs, which the doctor said was normal. You try carrying around a…" Ranger leaned over and kissed her to make her stop talking. She sighed and then said, "Okay, I feel better, let's go eat while I feel up to it." Lester looked at Joe and said, "Jesus Morelli, do you have a death wish?"

Joe joined them for lunch and it was a nice time. He and Ranger weren't the best buddies, but they managed to get along for Steph's peace of mind. They talked about a recent case that RangeMan had worked with the police department on and Joe praised Steph's research work on it that helped them make the capture without an incident. Joe even offered to pick up the check when they were done eating.

Ranger helped Steph up from the table and they were walking towards the door when all of sudden she came to a stop. Ranger looked at her and said, "Babe?" She put a hand to her back and said, "Just a twinge. Can you rub it?" Ranger rubbed her back where she had indicated and before she could say anything else, she suddenly leaned over and gasped. "Babe?" Before she could say anything, there was a gush on the floor. "Shit Babe, you're water just broke. Let's get you to the hospital." He hurried her out of Pino's and into the car, driving off before Lester or Joe could say anything. Lester looked from the puddle on the floor to Joe and said, "Did you see that?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Babe, you're doing so well. I'm so proud of you", Ranger said. It had been eighteen hours since they arrived at the hospital but this baby wasn't in a hurry. The doctors had been monitoring Steph and the baby closely and there were quiet mumbles about a c-section if progress didn't happen soon. Steph had been given medication to make her contractions stronger, but she still seemed to be at the same point of dilation now as she was a few hours ago. Ranger wiped her forehead and dropped a kiss on it. Steph looked up at him and had tears in her eyes. "Carlos, I don't think I can do this much longer. Why won't this baby come out of me?" He wiped the tears off her cheeks that had fallen and sighed. "I don't know Babe, but I'm going to go find out." Ranger left the room in search of the doctor and Lester came in and took his place beside her bed.

"Hey Beautiful, how's it going?" Steph looked at him and gritted out through clenched teeth, "It's not going because this kid doesn't want to come out." When another contraction started, she reached out and grabbed his hand. "Count", she demanded. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Damnit Lester, count the damn contraction for me." She squeezed his hand hander and he started, "1,2,3,4,5…" Slowly, she let up her grip on him and once the contraction was over, she smiled at him. "Thanks, hope I didn't yell too loudly at you." He shook his head and pulled his hand out of her grip, and started moving his fingers around. "Jesus Beautiful, that's quite the grip you have."

Ranger came back a few minutes later with the doctor and a team of staff trailing behind him. "Mrs. Manoso, we are going to get you ready to have this baby by c-section. He seems to be quite stubborn and your labor isn't progressing at a good speed. We don't want to cause the baby any distress so the group behind me will get you ready to go to the OR." He patted her on the leg and said, "I'll see you in a few minutes and then we'll have this baby a few minutes later." The doctor turned around and walked out of the door, talking to someone on his cell phone as he left. Steph looked at Ranger and had tears running down her face. "Babe, it's okay. I'll be with you the entire time and in a few minutes, we'll have our son. Okay?" She nodded and he wiped her tears. Lester dropped a kiss on her cheek and patted Ranger on the shoulder as he walked out saying, "I'll update the team. See you in a bit Beautiful. You'll do great." She nodded but the tears kept flowing. Lester left and before Ranger could say anything else, a nurse was leading him to get scrubbed and gowned so he could be with her. They wheeled her out of the room on the same bed she was in and once in the hallway, she was amazed at the number of people there waiting for the baby. "Holy moly batman, who's running the bat cave if this many of the guys are here?" He just shook his head at the group and chuckled and as she was wheeled down the hall, the guys came over and patted her on the arm or shoulder and wished her good luck. Before she could get too far down the hall, another contraction hit and she let out a string of curse words that had some of the Rangemen blushing. The bed turned a corner and they could still hear her cussing. Lester yelled out, "Bomber, you need to teach me some of those words." A few seconds later, Ranger looked back at Lester and laughingly said, "You might want to wear a cup next time you see her." Lester paled and Tank pushed him down into a seat. "You never learn." Ranger came running back down the hall and yelled "Brown, get moving, Steph wants you in there with her." Bobby threw the bottle of water he had in his hand to Lester and took off down the hall after Ranger.

When Bobby got gowned and scrubbed up and walked into the operating room, Ranger was sitting on a stool at Steph's head and was wiping her forehead with a damp cloth. He walked over and said, "Hey, you ready to have this baby?" Steph looked up at him and smiled, "Yep, got the good drugs already and ready to get this kid out." Ranger chuckled and said to Bobby, "She's got some good stuff in her system and as soon as they are done setting up, they'll be ready to go. Thanks for being here with us." Bobby smiled and said, "It's my pleasure. Not every day you get to see the next generation of Rangemen come into the world. Besides, nothing this exciting happens with the guys, mainly they just get shot." They all laughed and the doctor came over and gave a quick rundown of what was going to happen. He looked at Bobby and asked, "Do you want to assist?" Bobby looked shocked, but said, "I guess, if it's okay with Steph and Ranger." He looked at them and Steph said, "You've been with me through it all so you should have be able to help it finish." He nodded and walked to the other end of the bed with the doctor.

"Ok, Stephanie, can you feel any of this?" the doctor asked as he was poking Steph's stomach and sides. "Feel what?" was her reply so the doctor laughed and said, "We're ready to start then." From that minute, the mood changed between the doctors and nurses and they got into their serious business mode. Bobby acted as the emcee and let Steph and Ranger know what was happening. After a few minutes, he glanced at Steph over the draping that had been put up and said, "Last cut Bomber and then your baby will be here." Steph was trying to lift her head up to see over the draping and said, "I want to see." Bobby looked at the doctor who motioned to the nurse and a mirror was situated so Ranger and Steph could see what was going on. When it was time to deliver the baby, the doctor started and then looked at Bobby. "Do you want to do it?" Bobby just stared at him and then at Steph. She smiled and nodded so Bobby let the doctor guide him with what to do. When the baby was pulled out, Steph let out a cry and Bobby said, "Definitely a boy!" Everyone laughed and Ranger leaned down to kiss Steph. He wiped her tears and then reached up to wipe his own. Ranger was called over to cut the cord and then Bobby brought the baby over to Steph and laid him on her chest and a nurse came over to start cleaning up the baby. Ranger reached out and ran his hand over the baby's head. "He's beautiful Ranger, look at him." Steph said. "Babe, thank you. I love you." He kissed her again and then leaned down to kiss the baby. The nurse wrapped the baby up and leaned him close enough so Steph could kiss him and then took him to the back of the room to clean him and get him dressed. Bobby headed back with her to help. He came back a few minutes later and handed the baby to Ranger. "Well, guys, does this adorable little guy have a name?"


End file.
